


My Way or The Highway

by Carrion_CarryOn



Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Hostage Situations, Manhandling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26808826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carrion_CarryOn/pseuds/Carrion_CarryOn
Summary: K-2SO did not possess a heart, thus, the organic idiom “heart-stopping” should not apply to him. Cassian had once explained it as “ice that suddenly jumps into your body and everything seems to freeze.” It had sounded to him, at the time, like a harsh system glitch or something similar. Now, though, he thought he might know what Cassian meant.
Relationships: K-2SO & Bodhi Rook
Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955218
Kudos: 17





	My Way or The Highway

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on Tumblr:  
> https://horsefeathears.tumblr.com/post/631018656105644033/whumptober-2020-my-way-or-the-highway

K-2SO did not possess a heart, thus, the organic idiom “heart-stopping” should not apply to him. Cassian had once explained it as “ice that suddenly jumps into your body and everything seems to freeze.” It had sounded to him, at the time, like a harsh system glitch or something similar. Now, though, he thought he might know what Cassian meant.

K-2 should have heard the woman come in. He should have been able to sense her with any one of the proximity alerts set up to detect such and prevent this _exact_ scenario from happening. But running diagnostics wouldn’t help right now. Bodhi Rook is in danger. The stranger has a blaster pointed right at the pilot’s soft, vulnerable head. K-2 dared not move; if he did, there was an 89% chance of that blaster being fired.

“Order the droid to back off! Now!” The woman shouted.

Her arm tightened around Bodhi Rook’s neck as she did so, which K-2 thought counterintuitive. How was he supposed to do _anything_ , say anything if she was choking him? Bodhi looked- Maker, he looked _terrified_.

**[Mydriasis observed, increase of 26%]**

Both of Bodhi’s hands release their grasp on the arm which confines him and stretch forward slightly. Palms toward the ground, a repeated “down” motion. Any other time, Kay might have taken the time to feel miffed, but as it was, he takes two careful steps backward. The woman seems to relax a little, and he observes a slow release and elimination of muscle tension in her upper back and arms. It does little to soothe Bodhi’s nerves.

**[Muscle tension, increase of 22%]**

“Okay. Okay - look, this is what’s gonna happen now, tin can. Keep backing up, _slow_. You so much as twitch in a way I don’t like, your friend’ll need a new head,” the captor hisses through clenched teeth.

As Kay moves to do so, bright white optics never once leaving Bodhi, the woman in the hood shifts backwards. Judging by her furtive, backward glances, she intends to move forward. A moment of clarity later, and Kay froze again. She wants to escape; she’s going to take the ship, and Bodhi with her. There is a 75% chance that, if allowed to leave, she would eventually kill her hostage.

Bodhi, too, appeared to notice the backward motions.

**[Breathe rate, increase of 54%]**

Kay is unsure of what to do. He’s fast for a droid, but not faster than a laser bolt already point-blank against an ally’s vitals. He’s strong, and he towers over both the woman and Bodhi, yet neither would help. His computation abilities are far superior to that of any human; scenarios of possible failure fill his processor.

Something sparks at the very edge of K-2’s sensor net. It’s faint, likely due to the same reason he’d failed to detect _her_ , but there. Jyn is there, outside the shuttle. Cassian joins her not long after. He’s sneaking around, towards the front, away from Kay’s sensors. New variables, familiar ones, ones that put Kay at ease, if only just a little. But for them to have an opportunity to act, the woman has to be distracted. Their chances of success increase exponentially catching her off guard.

**[Heartbeat, increase of 77%, WARNING: Palpitations evident]**

K-2 stops, making sure to pronounce his final step. The woman refocuses on him, glaring with dark eyes and mouth quirking down into a slight frown. Frustration. Confusion. Apprehension.

“What do you think you’re doing, droid?”

“Seeing as you failed to specify a “back up” range, I have decided that this is far enough,” K-2 replied sternly.

“The hell is that s’pposed to mean?”

“One of my prime directives is to protect members of my unit. This distance suffices to both meet your demand and satisfy my directive.”

“You cracked?” snapped the woman.

“Explain,” K-2 demanded. This will, hopefully, afford Cassian enough time to enter the ship through the hatch located underneath the cargo-hold.

The woman arches one brow, eyes narrowing simultaneously. She’s now more confused than scared or angry. Chances of her firing the blaster have decreased slightly. Bodhi is still clearly terrified. There is now a sheen of sweat running from his brow down his cheeks. He is swallowing sparsely. His breath is still coming in sporadic, shallow gasps, as though fearing the brush of air might set off that gun.

Everything happened in an instant. Well, only a few seconds, according to K-2’s internal chronometer, but still impressive for humans. Cassian sprang up from below, gun at the ready. Jyn ran up behind Kay, taking a place at the droid’s side, drawing a bead on the aggressor. K-2 did more than that.

Whilst the woman was distracted by the other Rogue One members’ sudden appearances, letting out a strangled shout in surprise, K-2 took the opportunity to recover his distance. Just as calculated, it only took two steps in his normal stride to reach Bodhi and his captor. With precision afforded only by a droid’s processor, K-2 yanked the woman off of and away from his comrade. She flew backward from the bodily shove to land with a satisfying, audible “crack” against the hard, durasteel flooring. Landing on one side, that should have broken _something_ , the collarbone at least. It was the least she deserved.

Bodhi stumbles forward as soon as he’s free of the woman’s grasp, into K-2’s ready hold. Kay is gentle, trying carefully not to aggravate the stress Bodhi is definitely feeling. Organics are so fragile, easily broken, easily startled, and the last thing Kay wanted was for Bodhi to feel any measure of the roughness with which he’d handled the woman. Instinctually it seems, Bodhi curls into the familiar sensation of Kay’s firm, large hands and steady, scarred paneling.

“I have you, Bodhi Rook,” K-2 affirms.

“Y-yeah, thanks - thank you, Kay.”

Jyn and Cassian, who had had their hands full cuffing the crazy woman, finally rejoined their comrades.

“You alright, Bodhi?” asks Jyn.

“I- I think? I think so, yes. It feels like it.”

K-2 knew the answer with no uncertainty, but he didn’t say anything. That doesn’t matter now. Jyn and Cassian are here, and Bodhi is alright.

As the three organics discuss what should be done with their unwanted guest, K-2 ran his diagnostics and found the problem. Loose components. It must have been knocked out during the mission’s earlier “complications” (a brawl and subsequent firefight, the result of dissonance in negotiations). He would have to go down to the droid bay to have it repaired. Although, his displeasure of having strangers so near to vital components was well known, so, perhaps, Bodhi might help him instead. That would certainly give Kay time to ensure he was alright.

Cassian, Jyn, and Bodhi’s conversation moved towards a close, and K-2 decided that, yes, it is much preferable to visiting that awful droid bay and their dimwitted mechanics. He announces the need for repairs and Cassian chuckles, while Bodhi nods acknowledgement and climbs into the pilot’s seat. Jyn takes up a seat opposite to them all, doing what she called a “grilling sesh” with their new prisoner. She had a way of menacing others till they answered satisfactorily. Perhaps not truthfully, thought Kay, but enough to occupy Jyn.

K-2 left Cassian and took up his usual seat as co-pilot, glancing once at Bodhi. The man looked steadier now. His breathing was back to a natural rhythm, and his pupils weren’t nearly as wide as they had been. Absently, the human wiped at his brow with a sleeve, meeting Kay’s gaze.

“What?” Bodhi asked, a nervous smile creeping into the corners of his mouth.

“I am glad you were not hurt.”

“I am, too.”

“As I have stated, I require repairs. Perhaps you could help me?”

The smile turned to a grin as his brown eyes lit up. “Sure!”

**Author's Note:**

> I re-watched Rogue One the other day, and I realized that I hadn't written (and published) anything Rogue One related in over a year! So this is the product of that.
> 
> Wasn't too sure on whether or not anything constituted proper archive warnings, so that's the reason for that. If I'm incorrect, feel free to let me know.


End file.
